


The Beetle Before

by mikeymagee



Series: The Boys in Blue [2]
Category: Blue Beetle (Comics), DCU, Justice League International (Comics), batman the brave and the bold
Genre: Mentor/Protégé, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-20
Packaged: 2018-02-18 01:36:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2330426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikeymagee/pseuds/mikeymagee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jaime asks about Dan</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beetle Before

Today was the day Ted was going to fix that engine problem in The Bug, and when Jaime had been invited to tag along, the kid was more than willing to come. Hell, he was downright giddy. Jaime raced over the Ted's mansion without so much as a second thought. They had been working on the old Bug all day. Swapping stories, and telling jokes. It was nice.

"You know Mr. Ko…" Jaime closed his eyes as if he had been smacked, "I mean Ted." He had to keep reminding himself that Ted…well, liked to be called Ted. Jaime and Ted Kord were in the Beetle Cave…or what Jaime liked to call, "The Beetle Museum." Ted had collected so many different items from his many adventures that it made Jaime shudder just by looking at them. There were statues of the Madniks. Disassembled Doomsday weapons. Lasers that could singe armor and so much more. But there was one thing that always bothered Jaime.

"You've never really told me about Dan Garrett."

Ted had set up both Blue Beetle costumes in a glass case that overlooked the entire cave. Ted's was worn from time to time, Ted might have been old, but he wasn't dead (anymore). But Dan's uniform…that thing hadn't seen the light of day since…ever.

Ted told Jaime the best stories. How Booster wished the JL to hell, or how Batman took out Guy Garner with one punch.

"One punch," Ted said, his hands flailing everywhere like an excited child. "Man, I wish we had I-phones back then. It would have been golden!"

But not one story about Dan. Not only that, even Kahji Da remained tight lipped about the first Blue Beetle. Was it because they didn't want to scare him?

Ted looked up from The Bug's engine, if he was making a face Jaime couldn't see it, not through all the soot and dirt that caked Ted's face.

"W-what about him?" Ted asked as he wiped his hands.

"I just think it might be nice if I knew a little more about him. I mean…he trained you, didn't he?"

Ted only smiled, "I…uh…well didn't train me…per se. He was my archaeology professor. That's how he found the scarab ya' know. He was an archeologist."

Jaime's eyes lit up at that word. "Like Indiana Jones?"

Ted chuckled "Well, not exactly like Indiana Jones…but pretty close." Ted placed a dirty hand on Jaime's T-shirt, and the two walked over to the glass casings. The uniform of Dan Garrett shined like an old penny. "So, you want stories about your Beetle Grandpa huh?"

Jaime nodded his head. No one knew Dan better than Ted.

"Well," Ted rolled his head back, "When I first met Dan I kinda thought he was just some old guy." Ted wiped the soot from his fingertips on Jaime's shirt, "You know, an absent minded professor who was easy to get an A out of."

"Really?"

"Yeah…he was the toughest teacher I ever had. No, seriously. The guy was like Darkside, but without the eye beams." Ted's face gave way to a small smile, "I remember I came to class one day and there was a test and I forgot to study."

Jaime and Ted walked up the stairs into the Ted's living room. Ted had built several secret hideouts (well two, but he told Jaime it was several). One underneath his company and another underneath his mansion.

"So naturally I go into the bathroom and try and write my whole freakin' textbook on my body." Ted began to laugh even harder. "And every few seconds I roll up my sleeves to take a peek…and surprise surprise Dan catches me."

Jaime could picture Dan Garrett now. Tall and imposing with a poker face perfected from years of protecting the harsh streets. Just like Batman.

"Then what happened?"

Ted couldn't hold it back anymore. He laughed so loudly his voice shook the windows. "Then he grabbed me by my collar, picked me up and threw me out of his classroom. And every time we had a test he made me roll up my sleeves."

And then his laughter faded. "It's because of Ted that I even became the Blue Beetle in the first place."

Jaime knew the story. He had heard it from Batman. Jarvis was trying to take over the world. Ted and Dan stopped him. Dan died, but before he did, he passed on the Blue Beetle legacy. It was almost like something out of a comic book.

"Sometimes I wonder," he paused, "…I wonder if Dan made the right decision."

Dan was dying in that instance. Jarvis had brought his entire mountain down on the three of them and through some sheer force of luck, Ted escaped. But not before handing the reins over to Ted. Not before asking him…no, begging, Ted to continue the legacy he worked to hard to create.

"Ted please…I need you to continue on as the Blue Beetle."

And Ted promised he would. But…the scarab never picked him like it did with Dan. And hell, Jaime was the only one of them who unlocked its full potential. Sometimes Ted wondered if it was even right carrying that name. Did he even have a claim to it?

"Of course Dan made the right decision," Jaime said. "Look at all of the good you've done. Not just on your own, but with the JLI." Jaime's face became even brighter, "You did what no other Beetle could do…you became a hero on your own. No powers, no armor. No alien tech. Just you. Dan saw that." Maybe that's what Dan's power was…not so much the scarab, but being able to see the potential in everything. "He'd be so proud…just like I am."

A legacy is more than the person who chooses to honor it. It is all the good done under that name. All the sacrifices and triumphs that came with it. Sometimes….Ted needed to be reminded of that.

"Thanks kid…I know he'd be proud of you too."

Dan was a hero. Just as Ted was. Just as Jaime was. A blue legacy that shined through three generations.

"I have the coolest Beetle grandpa ever!"

And Ted laughed. "You sure do kid."


End file.
